The present invention relates to artificial rock climbing structures.
Artificial rock climbing walls have become popular for indoor gyms, resorts, and inside mountain climbing equipment retail stores. Such walls allow climbers to practice and hone their skills, or allow beginners to experience rock climbing in a safe environment. In addition, it allows purchasers to try out rock climbing boots and other equipment in a store.
A typical climbing gym will have a wall constructed out of plywood with T-nuts inserted through the plywood panels. The T-nuts allow external pieces called "rock climbing holds" to be added and changed to vary the features and to easily change the climbing difficulty. A rock climbing hold is typically made of resin-concrete and can be shaped as desired. For instance, an easy hold would provide a large extending ledge, which is easily grabbed or stepped on. A more difficult hold will only extend out slightly, making it more difficult to grab and hold onto.
More recent climbing walls have covered the plywood panels with a mixture of sand and paint to give it a nicer look and feel. Some manufacturers use textured fiberglass panels, rather than plywood.
Other techniques for producing artificial climbing walls include bolting climbing holds onto a concrete wall, and spraying concrete onto a metal frame. In addition resin-concrete tiles can be fixed to a wooden or concrete support.